These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the fighting spirit Lumine and Paimon had just ignited.
"Then, doesn't that mean we'll have to watch our friend fall into danger again? Are we going to... are we going to watch someone else leave us, just like in Mondstadt?"
Paimon shook her head vigorously, her voice thick with tears: "We don't want that to happen again!"
"It won't happen."
Zhongli's voice suddenly rang out, as steady as the bedrock of Liyue Harbor, carrying a power that could soothe the heart.
"Yunqin will not meet the same fate as that young lady in Mondstadt, and Lydia, that spirited girl, will also return safely."
He slowly raised his hand, and Geo energy condensed in his palm, forming a small, gently glowing golden contract mark.
"I swear in the name of Morax, the God of Contracts, that I will awaken Yunqin from the Abyss's control, and I will also wrest the method of reviving Lydia from the Abyss's maw."
Venti looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude, even his usual hint of carefree aura completely vanished.
This God of Geo, who's foundation was built upon "Contracts" and who never made promises lightly in his thousand-year reign, had actually taken an oath in the name of "Morax."
After all, the name "Morax" had already been buried within Liyue's thousand-year history following the "faked death" of Rex Lapis.
He knew the old man's personality all too well; since the Rite of Descension, he had roamed the world as a mortal and would surely not resort to using his god-tier title lightly again.
Yet now, for Yunqin, for Lydia...
He actually brought up this name, one that carried countless burdens, once more and solemnly wrote the safety of the two young women into a contract.
Venti's heart felt as if it were being gently squeezed by the wind, aching and warm all at once.
He remembered his search for Lydia's traces in the past:
How he wandered through the clouds all night, unable to find a single clue even with the wind's help...
How he could only smile bitterly into his wine glass upon learning that Lydia's soul might be suffering inhuman torture by the Abyss...
He had thought he would have to figure this out slowly on his own, never expecting the Geo Archon, who seemed so steady as to be somewhat stodgy, to take this responsibility upon his own shoulders.
"You..." Venti opened his mouth, his voice actually sounding a bit hoarse.
He instinctively wanted to tease him with a few words like "I didn't expect you to be so passionate," but as the words reached his lips, only a heart full of gratitude remained.
Gazing at the golden-glowing contract mark in Zhongli's palm, the patterns on the mark seemed to come alive, each line revealing the unique majesty of a god and an unquestionable determination.
This was a promise more reliable than any oath, a contract belonging to Morax.
Once established, he would do his utmost to fulfill it.
Anemo swirled gently around Venti, as if soothing his churning emotions.
He took a deep breath, raised his hand to pluck the lyre, and played a series of gentle notes. The melody was no longer as hurried as before, but instead carried a few hints of reassuring warmth.
"Alright, Morax."
Venti deliberately emphasized the name "Morax," the smile in his eyes full of sincerity.
"Then I, too, swear in the name of Barbatos. I will use the power of the wind to find traces of the Abyss for you, and bring Yunqin back to you."
"If you need support in battle, my wind will be the first to block attacks for you, and I will never let you face those troublesome fellows alone."
After speaking, Venti couldn't help but pat Zhongli's shoulder, the force a bit heavier than before.
This was the tacit understanding belonging to the two Archons, a trust that spanned a thousand years of time.
As the oath fell, the Geo and Anemo elements in the air intertwined.
But Lumine's brow soon furrowed into a deep frown.
"Even so, if even Venti's wind cannot detect traces of the Abyss, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to find Yunqin."
It was the same back in Mondstadt. Even though they were just one step away, she still watched helplessly as her friend fell into crisis.
That feeling of helplessness still pressed down in her heart to this day.
This time, she absolutely could not let Yunqin repeat the same mistake, and she could not leave the same regret again!
Paimon was spinning around in anxiety beside them, waving her little paws wildly in the air, even her body floating in the sky swaying along.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up: "That's right! We can ask the Qixing for help!"
"Ningguang is so smart, and Keqing is so efficient. If we let them post notices in Liyue Harbor and mobilize the people to find clues together, we'll definitely find Yunqin quickly!" She clapped her hands excitedly as she spoke, her round face full of conviction that "this plan is foolproof."
Lumine instinctively nodded, just about to agree.
Zhongli slowly shook his head, looking down at the faint Geo elemental glow that hadn't yet dissipated from his palm, his tone carrying a trace of steady consideration: "This proposal is inappropriate."
"Yunqin is very popular in Liyue. The children of Chihu Rock, the diners at Wanmin Restaurant, even the workers at the docks... they have all received her care."
"Now that she is controlled by the Abyss and her consciousness is unclear, if we rashly let the people search, if an uninformed elderly person or child should approach her and speak, the consequences would be unimaginable."
These words were like a basin of cold water, instantly extinguishing Paimon's excitement.
She pursed her lips, her small face full of disappointment, and her voice lowered: "Then what should we do? We can't just stand by and wait, can we?"
"We've already lost a friend once, we can't lose Yunqin again..." As she spoke, Paimon's eyes grew red.
Lumine remained silent, various thoughts flashing rapidly through her mind.
Suddenly, she looked up, a spark of light flashing in her eyes.
"I have a plan!"
"We can say outwardly that Yunqin, while out cultivating, was accidentally possessed by the lingering resentment of a god and has temporarily lost her senses."
"'God's lingering resentment' is a similar tale told among the people of Liyue. This way, we don't have to expose the existence of the Abyss, avoiding public panic."
"It will also allow anyone who sees Yunqin to report clues immediately, but won't let them approach her lightly, preventing them from being accidentally harmed!"
Venti and Zhongli exchanged a glance, a trace of approval flashing in their eyes.
"This idea is brilliant! It hides the trouble with the Abyss, borrows the eyes of the people to find clues, and protects Yunqin's reputation, achieving three goals at once!" Venti's tone was full of admiration.
"Liyue's thousand-year history is not lacking in records of the lingering resentment of gods causing trouble. This explanation conforms to everyone's understanding and won't cause unnecessary panic." Zhongli also nodded slightly, his eyes full of affirmation.
Paimon's spirits were raised again upon hearing this. She excitedly floated in front of Lumine and gave her a loud high-five: "As expected of the two of us! Just so smart!"
"There's no time to lose, let's go find Ningguang right now! A moment too late, and Yunqin might have run far away!" As Paimon spoke, she grabbed Lumine's hand and ran outside.
The two figures blurred and quickly disappeared from sight.
Watching their hurrying backs, Zhongli stood in place, his gaze gradually turning profound.
He used his divine sense to look toward Liyue Harbor: the lights of ten thousand homes shimmered weakly in the misty rain, like stars that could be extinguished at any moment.
Deep down, an ominous premonition kept warning him.
"What is it? Worried about Yunqin?" Venti walked to his side and couldn't help but ask, noticing the atmosphere around Zhongli had grown heavy.
"I'm worried about more than just Yunqin." Zhongli remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.
"The dual elemental power and adeptal energy within this child's body are inherently special. The Abyss's ability to control her so easily shows their understanding of this matter far exceeds our imagination."
Hearing this, the relaxed expression on Venti's face also faded.